The “Our Ocean” Conference 2024 took place in Athens, Greece from the 15th till the 17th of April 2024.
Yesterday, the WES Project co-organised a side event “Roundtable Navigating Change: Progress and prospects in the fight against marine plastic pollution”.
Professor Michael Scoullos, WES Project Team Leader, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Chemistry and Oceanography at the University of Athens, moderated the roundtable, and along with distinguished panelists the world over, including Dr. Emad Adly, WES Project Stakeholder Engagement and Impact Assessment expert and General Coordinator of RAED, key messages and successful initiatives were discussed regarding the entire management cycle of marine litter, from monitoring and assessment to prevention and mitigation.
They gave emphasis on the tangible outcomes of these initiatives, the measurable impacts on coastal and marine ecosystems, and underlined the need of further focus on implementation of measures. Event participants gained new knowledge and insights, as well as motivation to implement similar initiatives, enhancing the global movement towards ocean sustainability.
Photo from left to right:
Dr Emad Adly, Water and Environment Support (WES) Project, General Coordinator of RAED
Mr Almotaz Abadi, Union for the Mediterranean Deputy Secretary General on Water, Environment & Blue Economy
Ms Gillian Caldwell, Chief Climate Officer and Deputy Assistant Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Prof. Konstantinos Aravossis, UNESCO Chairholder on Green Innovation and Circular Economy at the National Technical University of Athens
Dr. Nikos Simantiris, Scientific Officer at MEDASSET
Mr Nicholas Mallos, Vice President of Conservation, Ocean Conservancy
Lead: MIO-ECSDE
Co-organizers: WES Project, UfM, UNEP/MAP, IOC UNESCO, The Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection, IUCN, MEDASSET, Beyond Plastic Med, RAED, BlueCycle, Laskaridis Shipping Co. Ltd., USAID, Ocean Conservancy, NOAA, Common Seas, ZUG
